IPWireless and Solectron agree manufacturing services for 3G UMTS TD-CDMA products

December 14, 2005

Solectron Corporation, a provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services, and IPWireless, a developer of 3G standards-based mobile broadband technology, announced Solectron as the exclusive provider of outsourced new product introduction (NPI) and manufacturing services.

Under the terms of the agreement, Solectron will be the exclusive provider of outsourced NPI services for new products introduced by IPWireless and will be the exclusive provider of outsourced manufacturing for IPWireless-supplied UMTS TD-CDMA mobile broadband equipment, including base stations and modems.

This agreement streamlines the process for companies seeking to enter the rapidly expanding UMTS TD-CDMA technology ecosystem while allowing IPWireless to focus on its core business of advancing the technology's performance. IPWireless's growing list of licensing partners are free to choose whether to manufacture equipment and have NPI services performed internally or through partners and this agreement makes Solectron a compelling choice.

Based on 3GPP technology, UMTS TD-CDMA has emerged as a global standard for mobile broadband with commercial deployments in numerous countries around the world including Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"Solectron's proven performance will lower the barriers to entry and improve time to market, making it easier for OEMs, mobile operators, broadband service providers, and systems integrators to join the growing UMTS TD-CDMA ecosystem and quickly capitalize on the demand for mobile broadband systems," said Dr. Bill Jones, chief operating officer for IPWireless. "As IPWireless continues to focus on its core technology, we are pleased that those deploying UMTS TD-CDMA networks will be able to take advantage of the scalability and flexibility offered by Solectron's global footprint and will benefit from Solectron's demonstrated technical expertise in wireless broadband, new product introduction and lean manufacturing."

"Our long relationship with IPWireless highlights Solectron's unique ability to collaborate with its customers to proactively find innovative solutions to customers' business challenges," said Doug Britt, executive vice president of Sales and Account Management, Solectron. "Solectron brings a number of core capabilities in new product introduction, supply chain management and lean manufacturing that can help improve the competitive advantage for OEMs like IPWireless and its licensing partners."